With the holidays upon us, this Cranberry Raspberry Orange glaze recipe will go well with so many holiday dishes!
I don't make game hens often, but I love serving them for dinner with friends. They make such a beautiful, elegant meal!
This recipe calls for raspberry jam, but if you can find it in your freezer section, I suggest using Oregon Pourable Fruit. I love this stuff! I've used Oregon Pourable Fruit to make Berry Meringue Parfaits and in these refreshing Boozy Berry Smoothie Shots. They're a favorite ingredient of mine to use for impromptu late night bites too.
Cranberry Raspberry Orange Glaze + Game Hens
This glaze is everything.
It's bright and zingy thanks to the citrusy orange; sweet from the Pourable Fruit raspberry puree; and slightly tart from the cranberries. It doesn't take very long at all to make, either. This Cranberry Raspberry Orange glaze only takes about 10 minutes to thicken up before it's ready to use on your roast chicken, pork tenderloin, or in this case, roast game hens.
First, you make it with all of the glaze ingredients except for the raspberry and brush one coat onto your game hens before popping them into the oven. Then you add the raspberry Pourable Fruit into the glaze mixture (you do this later so that the higher sugar content doesn't burn up early on in the roasting process), and then brush another coat of the glaze onto the meat halfway through roasting.
Glazed Game Hens
The recipe I am sharing makes two game hens, which really can serve 2-4 people depending on how hungry you are.
By the way, there are two different game hens shown in these photos. One has a nice little char on the top of its skin, which I like because I love crispy skin, and one doesn't. Both are absolutely delicious thanks to the Cranberry Raspberry Orange Glaze!
Cranberry Raspberry Orange Glazed Game Hens
Ingredients
For the Glaze:
- 1 ½ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup cranberries
- ½ cup raspberry jam (or Raspberry Oregon Pourable Fruit)
For the Game Hens
- 2 game hens
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add orange juice, orange zest, and cranberries and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Rinse game hens, remove giblets, and pat dry with paper towels.
- Rub olive oil over both game hens.
- Lightly salt and pepper.
- Brush a light amount of the glaze (about ¼ of the glaze) over each game hen.
- Place hens on a roasting pan or on a shallow baking pan and roast for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the raspberry jam or Oregon Pourable Fruit to the glaze in the saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- After the game hens have been in the oven for 25 minutes, brush the remaining glaze over both game hens. Return to the oven and roast for an additional 30-35 minutes, until hens are cooked and skin is golden and slightly crispy.
- Remove from oven and rest on a plate for about 10-15 minutes before slicing into and serving.
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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Thanks to Oregon Fruit Products for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.
Amanda says
this rocks. I've seen these in stores but wondered what they were all about
carol clark says
strawberry is mine i dont hate another berry myfriend there all so good i love them all equally ahahahah
Brenda Haines says
That's a tough choice, but I'm going with the raspberry!
Catherine @ Ten Thousand Hour Mama says
I like the sweet but tart combo of raspberries - which I'm sure will be delish in a pourable form!
rust says
Blueberry is my alltime favorite.
Tiffany says
I love them all, but raspberry the best.
Barb says
I've never heard of Pourable Fruit but the raspberry would be my choice.
April says
I'm partial to strawberries. Maybe they'll come up with a marionberry flavor soon!
Taylor Walters says
I'm in LOVE with the strawberry!
Melissa says
AWESOME giveaway!!! I entered. My mom would adore that Le Creuset.
Pech says
This shiny lil hen is adorable :D
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
I love the idea of adding fruit to a meat glaze Marlynn - This sounds absolutely delicious! I've yet to try the Pourable Fruit but have heard good things. It seems like such a useful product!
Shahin Huneke says
YUMMM!!!
Jodi Monroy says
The pourable fruit looks delicious! You can't get any better than Oregon berries. I'd love to try the raspberry in a dessert.
Bill Volckening says
Loos delicious. I made cranberry orange compote last week, great combination of flavors!
Leslie Weisgerber says
That looks delicious & I've always wanted to try that pour able fruit!